About Us

The Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission was created to support the provision of civil legal services to low income Wisconsin residents. Our mission is to develop and encourage means of expanding access to the civil justice system for unrepresented low-income Wisconsin residents. Achieving such an ambitious objective will require great effort and a long-term commitment from everyone who has a stake in equal justice under law for every Wisconsin resident. We are prepared to make that commitment and we invite you to join us. Together, we can make a difference.

The Commission was created by an order of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in response to a petition filed by the State Bar of Wisconsin. We are a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) Wisconsin corporation governed by a 17 member board. Board members are appointed by our stakeholders: the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the Governor, the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Legislature, Marquette University Law School, the University of Wisconsin Law School and the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation.

Protecting the Elderly

Darlene was 91 years old and illiterate when she came to Legal Action of Wisconsin for help with a foreclosure case. She had been the victim of predatory lending involving a mortgage broker who fraudulently inflated both her income and the value of her home. Legal Action filed an answer on her behalf and sought to have the note and mortgage declared void due to the mortgage broker’s fraud. The bank agreed to settle the case and dismiss the foreclosure. Darlene entered into a reverse mortgage, and the bank reduced her $92,000 debt to $17,000 saving her $75,000 and helping her keep her home.